I just got ripped off for two grand :-(

by Mindchild 54 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Mindchild

  Hey You Guys and Gals...well thanks for your input.

  Quickly to answer a few questions...

  Noidea the cops could check for fingerprints on my attache case but it wouldn't hold up for proving anything in court as anyone who lived in the same house or was very frequently here, could just claim they went into my room for some innocent purpose and accidently touched the case. If the fingerprints were of someone who didn't have normal access that would be a different story but regardless the cops didn't want to even investigate.

  Joy, regarding finding better roommates...well I had already given my housemate written notice about two days prior to this that I was moving out at the end of this month. This just confirms that this is a smart move.

  Plmkrzy, if I knew for sure who took the money it would be a different story. I don't like the emotional drama that goes with making a wrong judgement and falsely blaming someone.

  ChiChiMama, my guess as to why both envelopes didn't vanish is that the one that dissappeared was in the tray area of my attache and would be easily viewable when opened but the other envelope was inside a zippered pocket. Thus, if someone was in a hurry, they would only see the one envelope and see it was thick with money. It is maybe a tiny bit of possiblity that I could have simply lost the money in an accidental opening as you suggest but I'm not really giving that much credit as I'm very careful when I'm outside my house with the attache. Still, strange stuff happens so I can't completely rule it out.

  Lisa, my renter's insurance doesn't cover any cash loses. I didn't file a police report because it is just too open ended at this time as to what happened.

  Thanks Syn and Dino for your suggestion about the minicam. I actually had one once before and did exactly this with it. In my current situation, I really never had any reason to suspect any negative things would happen because there was absolutely no signs beforehand of potential problems. I've for instance deliberately left some money (about $50)laying around in easy view in my room to see if anything happened to it, and nada..zip, nothing. Typically if you see someone failing a small test like this, it is a sign that trouble is living with you. However, goes to show that no test is perfect.

  Ballistic, that is really my strategy but I'm going to be out of here in a week and living in a different part of the state. My guess is that if he did do this, he is smart enough to hold off spending any money until I'm gone.

  Thanks again for all your input and suggestions.

  Kind Regards,

  Skipper
• 

  Mulan

  When I was a teenager, my brother and I had a party, inviting all JW's. After the party, I was in my bedroom, and discovered a package missing, that I had bought that day. It had been just inside my closet door. It was new stockings (About $20 worth......back in 1960, that was about $80 worth today). I couldn't believe someone would have taken them, but they did. A lesson learned. You can't trust them.

  Marilyn (aka Mulan)
  "No one can take advantage of you, without your permission." Ann Landers
  
• 

  refiners fire

  look at it this way.
  Youre not alone, same thing happened to me years ago when I was rent sharing with a girl.
  Its just one of the probs of living with strangers in multi share.
  I guess you will keep your money in your pocket hence forth huh?
  I called the cops about it and one of the cops told me something I'll never forget, he said "If you hang out with scum, you pay the price".
  I looked at the girl I was living with, he was right, she was scum, and all her buds were scum too.
• 

  Marilyn

  I prefer to be ripped off more creatively. A few months ago my husband and I bought a second hand car for our son. We have bought many second hand cars over the years and fancy ourselves as having an eye for a bargain. Geez what a couple of dopes we turned out to be. I won't go into how we allowed ourselves to be conned but the long and the short of it is that we paid $12,000AUD for a car that had been sandwiched so badly in a smash that the insurance company declined the right to fix it. This bastard we bought it from makes a living buying these wrecks and getting backyard cowboys to fix em' up for private sale and some how get them thru a road worthiness test. Nissum told us it is maybe worth $7,000 as a trade-in on a new car. So we did $5,000 cold @ least. The icing on the cake of this story is that we GAVE my son's old car - worth about $1,500 to my JW brother who hasn't associated with us for 20 yrs. Whatever happened to what goes round comes round???

  Marilyn :-(((
• 

  Satanus

  This could be a blessing for you in disguise. Please let me explain. You have floated some wonderful money building, life building plans here. You invited a few people to join in these appealing ventures. Along with good people, you could attract scammers that will use your plans, then opt out ahead of time, along with more than there share of the profits.

  And so, this loss could be an innoculation to help you not to be too trusting. Seen in this light, it could save you a lot more later, in my opinion.

  SS wishing you the best future
• 

  Derrick

  Hello Mindchild, I learned through the school of humiliation never to accuse anyone of theft. I was sure that I had placed things in a certain place, even mentally picturing myself doing it (much like you are sure there were two envelopes in your briefcase with money, believing this is absolute reality because you mentally picture yourself putting them there).

  I almost accused a close friend of theft but could not bring myself to do it. This created much anger in myself, thinking I was too chicken to confront this friend of obvious theft. Lo and behold, I found the missing item in a place that, in retrospect, I suddenly remembered was the place I had put it. Then why the false memory, I wondered? I was under stress and was going to leave it one place, but at the last minute decided to put it another place! My memory failed me to where I was convinced the item was in the first place.

  I came so close to destroying a friendship and falsely accusing a friend. This taught me a lesson that unless I can get photographic evidence using a wireless minicam, I will simply take my losses.

  By the way, I have discovered that it is wise to own a briefcase with a lock, and keep the briefcase locked. It's also best to carry more than $500 in travellers cheques, or carry $500 in cash and use a debit card for purchases in excess of that amount.

  I have found that the home security products at this web site are outstanding in "bunkering in" as a renter or homeowner. (I'm the latter and have the house electronically secured like "Fort Knox" for a modest cost, thanks to the following security company.)

  http://www.x10.com/

  (They're famous for wireless web cams, but also have home security products.)

  http://www.smarthome.com/

  (This is an electronic paradise for security conscious ones!) :)

  Derrick

  To see a World in a Grain of Sand
  And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
  Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
  And Eternity in an hour.

  -- William Blake (Auguries of Innocence)
• 

  larc

  MindChild,

  I feel sorry for you for your loss. I know it gives a person a sick feeling when they take that kind of a hit.

  As I understand it, you by back unused textbooks from college professors. Having been a prof who sold books to people like yourself, I know it takes a lot of cash on hand to conduct business. I assume you travel from campus to campus and so it is not feasible to set up a bank acount in every location. Is it possible to us an ATM machine to get cash as needed? I know you have to be careful here, because the transaction fees can be very high. I did it once and got charged 2 dollars by my credit union and 12 dollars by my credit card company for getting 100 dollars. I never did that again. Perhaps, you can find a bank with many locations and no trasaction fees to avoid this cost. Another thought, if you explained your line of work, a bank might make an exception and drop any transaction fees. Banks love getting new accounts.
• 

  teejay

  Mindchild,

  I’ve stayed away from this thread (on BOTH forums ) since I don’t know you, your line of work, how one in your line of work conducts business, or why a professional in ANY industry could/would be foolish enough to leave big bucks unattended in an unlocked briefcase with lowlifes in the next room, but that’s me.

  Forget about me. I have to say you’ve been asked some very good questions, especially over at kent’s! They don’t mind cutting to the chase over there, huh? Forget your pain and loss ... just answer the questions, fella!

  kent said,

  You claim to be one of the really big Hot-Shots in your line of business. Would you mind giving us a few details, so we could check up your company?

  That seems to be an appropriate question, don’t you think?

  He went on to say that

  Your explanation as to why this wasn't repported [sic] to the police doesn't seem right to a Norwegian. I know I would have filed a complaint if someone ripped me off for 2000 dollars - and I knew who it was.

  Can’t find much wrong with kent’s thinking there, can we? Yachyd Da.

  Valentine said

  why don't you just go yawah. It becomes non private when other lives become involved in schemes.
  I don't give a rats ass what you think .Cuz I know a bullshit artist when I smell one. See ya,bye.”

  Wow. Can’t argue with someone that speaks their mind, eh?

  At the outset, Valentine said that she had

  reservations about your stories.I've been following them.

  Not being able to u se [sic] checks in business ventures is one.

  Your island concept remains a conundrum.

  Why are you unable to get credit in your name?

  If you broker books why do you need others to 'sell' them?

  What is thei [sic] expected investment in all this?

  Just damned curious here? Why?

  because cash is not for legit deals.I smell scam,I smell predator,and not to mention the charm and glibness of sociopathy.

  I don’t know Valentine, but s/he asks good questions, yes?

  Mommie Dark says

  Sorry, Skip, but I find it hard to believe that any legitimate business won't take checks. Even if paper checks are a hassle to use, there is always checking Visa, which any bank will offer. We have sucking horrible credit and we have checking Visa. And as one other poster mentioned, traveller's checks are readily available and most everyone will take them.

  The only 'businesses' I've ever encountered that work strictly cash are underhanded ones, and fly-by-night outfits like carnivals and travelling shows. Are you in a fly-by-night profession?

  Wow.

  Valentine Tina D'medici said

  Deja Vu and all that.

  Did Skipper forget that most of us sold mags and books for the WTS and got promised 'paradise' in return?
  But all we got was week 53 of the WTS timeshare(ty JT) [sic] lol.

  Tina,needs honest info class.

  __________________
  wishing all love and happiness

  You responded by saying that “several people are taking their critical, nosey, and skeptical pills,” but the fact is, they’ve put some very interesting questions to you that you’ve not answered them. Why *is* that?

  Just yanking your chain, dude. Hard.

  You were one of those that didn’t hesitate to jump on me (and defended noble kent) when I got booted from his measly board. Now maybe things are clearer?

  I had (have) a very real, very honest, very valid viewpoint about kent and what he has done here in the past and was probably going to do on his board -- the kind of person he is. It's a pity that you were vicimized a second time by people who you hoped might sympathise w/ your plight. It wouldn't have cost them anything... nothing more than the time and effort it's taken me to say what I've said here. What did they have to lose?

  Care to now adjust your view? <rhetorical question>
• 

  VeniceIT

  You know what I would do Skipper.

  Next time your around them I would just come up with a really elaberate tail of how your a PI and doing a sting job, and tell them about this 'funny money' you have in your brief case that the poilice are going to be tracking when you make a drop. Make sure they think your kinda drunk or something, and really play the tracing part of it up, but sound belivable. Even if you don't get the money back you'd have fun messing with them!!!

  Ven
• 

  Kismet

  Skipper:

  I am sorry that this happened to you. I am also sorry that you as a victim got attacked the way you did as outlined in TeeJay's post. Simply put that sucks.

  Anyone who has really spent time around any campus of higher learning knows well the sight of the book resellers, both prior to and towards the end of the semester. The business model for such resellers is just shy of genius. It is also very understandable the need for that amount of cash, especially this time of the campus year.

  When you are buying books back at $50-100+ a piece and at any kind of volume, $2,000 doesn't last long and students just won't take cheques from a reseller..they deal in cash.

  It is a shame that some short sighted, suspicious busybodies can't see past their own nose sometimes and just worsened your situation with their allegations.

  I wondered how long it would take for fresh meat to be found to gnaw on, I am sorry it was you. Don't get me wrong I am still apprehensive of the whole island concept but to each their own. If it makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone else..go for it! Just my opinion of course.

  Good luck in your business endeavours.

  Kismet